The present invention relates to a device for holding medical tubes at a fixed place on a patient's body. More particularly, the present invention may be used to wrap around the head of a person for use as a tube holder.
A trachea or nasogastric tube holder is a device well known in the art. However, presently available tube holders have limitations and disadvantages, either from the perspective of the patient or from the perspective of the physician.
A trachea tube is a tube used in the medical arts to insure that air is able to clear the mouth of a patient and enter the throat passageway, to allow the patient to breath. The tube may be inserted into the mouth until it rests at the back of the throat in or near the esophagus in order to avoid any possibility of an obstruction cutting off breathing. Nasogastric tubes perform the same function through the nose and are also commonly used in operations and in patient care. Once inserted, the tube needs to be held in place firmly so that it will not be dislodged. One source of dislodging is when the patient does so unintentionally, by moving, coughing, etc. The device holding the tube should be as comfortable as possible for the benefit of the patient.
Traditionally, the tubes have been held in place simply by taping them with one of the varieties of medical tape well known in the art. This method may be unsatisfactory because the patient's face must be used as an anchor for the tape and the tape's sticky surface can cause discomfort. Also, oil or liquids on the skin surface may cause the tape to lose its grip on the patient's skin. Some current tube holders do not employ a taping concept but are large, bulky, expensive, or too uncomfortable for the patient.
One of the devices which has attempted to overcome this problem is that disclosed by Schultz (U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,676). This device discloses an adhesive tape with a non-adhesive backing. The backing is placed against the skin of the patient so that there is no sticky substance to put on the patient's skin. The tape is split, lengthwise, near the ends, so that when a portion of the non-adhesive backing is peeled off, the split ends can be adhered around the trachea tube. This device has a disadvantage because it still has to employ an adhesive substance, which may require replacement occasionally as it loses its adhesiveness. Also, it is difficult to use, compared to the present invention, as the nurse or physician must be certain that the proper side of the tape is facing the tube, peel off the backing, separate the split ends, and wrap them around the trachea tube. Finally, this device is not easily adaptable to all types of patients, as the split ends must be close enough to the end so that the tape maintains its structrual integrity, which necessitates that the tape be manufactured in a variety of lengths to allow for use with patients ranging from infants to adults.
Another known tube holding device includes tape or VELCRO fasteners for connecting to a tube or cannula with the portion which wraps around the rear of the patient's head having a cushioning means for added comfort to the patient. This device may be unsatisfactory for holding trachea tubes, because it may not maintain a tube directly over the patient's mouth, allowing the tube to be pinched or pressed against the bottom of the mouth, and in one version uses adhesive for fixing the device, which has the disadvantages mentioned above.
Cost, ease of storage, and ease of packaging are other important considerations in the manufacture of tube holding devices. In order to contain costs, it is normally the case that if the tube holding device and the portion of the device which secures the tube holding device to the body are the same, then the cost of manufacture will be lower, assuming the cost of materials to be approximately the same. Also, it may be desirable to provide a device which can be easily packaged in a variety of ways. For example, if sterility is a consideration, then it may be desirable to manufacture the device in pre-selected lengths and wrapped in sterile packaging. However, if sterility is not a consideration, it would be advantageous if the devices could be packaged en masse and cut to the desired length when installed. Devices which may suffer from these limitations are disclosed by Eross (U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,742), White, et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,626) and Akiyama (U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,774). The device disclosed by Eross provides for multiple securing straps and a separate tube holder, which may increase production costs and requiring packaging as single entities. The device disclosed by White, et al similarly provides for a separate tube holder of relatively complicated design, so that it may also be more expensive to manufacture and less flexible to package. Finally, the device disclosed by Akiyama has separate restraining and tube holding devices, with the possible consequence of increased cost and being less amiable to mass packaging.
The present invention seeks to overcome these preceding difficulties of the prior art and provides a cheaper, simpler, and more comfortable device for holding tubes.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tube holder which effectively holds a tube in place so that it cannot easily be dislodged. Further, it is an object of the present invention to have a tube holder which is simple to put in place. Also, it is an object of the present invention to have a tube holder which does not require adhesives or tape for connecting the holder, but if adhesives are used they should not adhere directly to the skin. Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tube holder which is comfortable to patients. Also, it is an object of the present invention to have a tube holder which has a longer useful life. Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tube holder which can be used on patients of any size, and, if necessary, trimmed accordingly. Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tube holder which can be made sterile and disposable. Other objects will become evident as the invention is further described.